The Project

The “Butterflies of Memory” is a public art piece inspired by the power of hope and transformation. We see the balance of architecture and history, literally shaken down by memories, releasing them as golden butterflies that carry it off into the sky. The project is a gift to the city, and will eventually travel. A shimmering image that reminds us that sometimes, despite life’s harsh realities, life is also more magical, more beautiful that we imagined it could be.

Currently proposed for the Small Pox Hospital Ruins on Roosevelt Island, seventeen giant gold butterflies each thirteen feet in diameter will fly between 18 and 36 feet above the building, visually carrying it off. The project will be viewable to millions of New Yorkers. We have an educational outreach program designed to reach 500 New Yorkers as well.

Kathleen Griffin has been a working artist for the last fifteen years has been included in countless shows, collections and has received numerous awards. For more information and more samples of her work, please visit www.kathleen-griffin.com.